Entrapment
by OverHerHeels
Summary: "Because I can't do what's best for me without considering what's best for us." Nessie and Jacob are ready to start a new chapter in their lives, one that involves braving their way in the real world- alone. What happens when testing the waters of life without one another means drifting apart; and how long until the distance becomes too much to handle? Rated M for future chapters.
1. An Entrapment

**Well, you all know the drill! I own nothing, all credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter One:**

It felt like years since Nessie had given me the news.

When in actuality, it had only been a few months. The waves at First Beach had been cascading gently against the shore, and the sun was at the perfect place in the sky. And unlike the Forks summers in years past, the temperature was warm but not hot- the perfect day for a picnic. A picnic with the love of my life. I had been perfectly content with sitting in the Cullens' main house watching crappy reruns of 90's sitcoms, but Ness had insisted that we enjoy the weather, if only so she could give me "the big news". Of course, I hadn't been opposed, just so long as we were together.

It was a trait that had never posed much of an issue until recently.

"Jake, you've barely said a word all afternoon. Are you feeling okay?" Ness nudged my shoulder, silently urging me to respond. It was a peaceful silence, one that I fully intended on utilizing until she delivered whatever she had been eluding to all day.

"I'm fine." I offered her a half-hearted smile and she reached for my hand. She projected images of our time together since becoming an official couple. She'd grown up understanding the concept of being an imprint, so when the time was right everything just seemed to fall into place. I saw flashes of the night we went on our first date to her favorite restaurant in town "The Lodge", the first time I took her cliff diving, bonfires at the reservation- and she was happy, but I knew something was missing. "But I would be better if you could tell me your news."

"I asked everyone to keep quiet about this, because I didn't know what I wanted to do, okay? So try not to be too upset with them… Or me." She added quietly. Her beautiful brown eyes met mine for a moment before staring into her lap. Now it was my turn to comfort her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and urged her closer to me. Whatever was bothering her, I had decided, we would get through it together- like we always had.

"Ness baby, no matter what I couldn't stay upset with you- even if I tried. And trust me, I've tried." This caused her to giggle a little and she began tracing patterns on my cutoff shorts, aimlessly before continuing.

"Well, back in the fall, you remember how I told you all of the counselors at school had been urging us to apply to schools and everything? I obviously thought that would be a waste of time, but everyone was so stuck on the idea that I figured 'Hey, might as well!'. So I did. I got accepted to a couple of places…" I pulled back to look at her. I searched her face for signs of something- anything- that I would recognize. She had never kept anything from me (and vice versa) her entire life. Yet here we were, on the precipice of perhaps the biggest experience of her life, and I had been kept completely in the dark.

"Renesmee, you know I want you to do what's best for you. Why wouldn't you tell me about this? I mean, I'm so proud of you."

"Because, Jakey, I can't do what's best for _me_ without considering what's best for _us_." A lone tear slipped from her eye, and I brushed it away quickly with my thumb. Resting my hand on her cheek, I tilted her head so that her eyes met mine. "I just love you so much."

Those words were going to be my undoing.

It wasn't like she hadn't said them before. No, we had exchanged those pleasantries since she was old enough to communicate. It was just that then, everything she uttered held an air of finality. Like it may have been the last time I would ever hear them. "Ness, please tell me what's wrong. You're killing me."

"Jake, I- I'm leaving." She managed to choke out.

"Wait, what? For how long? Like you're going on a trip with Blondie and Alice for a little while…"

Her tears were falling freely now and she pulled away to look at me directly. "No, not this time. I mean I'm going away to school –to the University of Washington- in three weeks." That was never in the plan. College was never something that Ness and I had ever factored into our agenda- or at least I hadn't. Turns out, she had been looking at things a bit differently than I had all along. "Please don't be upset, Jake. This is just something that I have to do… If I, if I don't do it then I'll never know for sure… I mean, if I don't try things on my own for a while-"

"Won't know what for sure? Won't know whether or not we're meant to be together? Whether or not I'm the right choice to make?" I couldn't stop myself. I hadn't felt a rush of emotions this strong since the day she was born, the day my universe finally came together. And now, I felt the very ground we were sitting on fall from beneath me. "Ness, you don't have to go hundreds of miles away to figure that out! You don't have to run away from everything…"

Nessie reached out for me and I jerked away quickly, scrambling to stand. "Jacob, please!" She choked out and followed me. I hadn't even realized that I was walking away until I heard her behind me. "You promised me! You promised you wouldn't leave me, Jacob." I whipped back around, barely able to contain the tears threatening to spill from me own eyes.

"What, like you're doing me? Renesmee, you don't seem to understand that you're… You're my…" I ran both fists through my hair before continuing. "Just go. Just go and see what the rest of the world may have that is so much more than what I can offer you." I waved my arms to our surroundings. "This is all I can give you, Ness." I held my hand to my chest. "This is all I have for you."

She was sobbing now. And it took everything I had not to pull her to me and remind her that everything would be alright- that I would make everything alright for her. But I couldn't lie to her. There was no way I could convince her if I didn't even know myself. "So that's it? You don't even stay to hear me out?" Her hiccups were dividing her sentences up into broken phrases. "Maybe I should just go then!"

"Yeah, I guess you should!" Before I thought better of it, I was phasing into wolf form and sprinting through the woods. I had no idea where I was going, but I knew that I had to leave.

* * *

I hadn't spoken to Jake since school had started and I honestly couldn't describe the hole that had formed where he used to be. The hardest part of it all was that Washington was great. I had met so many amazing people and learned so many amazing things, and the first person I wanted to share them with was hundreds of miles away. And he was completely unwilling to listen to me. I could only imagine the amount of pain he was feeling, but wouldn't even take my phone calls. The only ways that I knew he was alright were through my periodic phone calls to Seth. We'd become really close over the years, and of the boys in the pack, I was probably closest to him.

"Yeah, Ness, he's doing alright. He's actually working with some guys in town on a business plan. He's thinking of starting his own shop, right off of the rez! It's gonna be great if he can pull it off. I've never seen him so driven before. The man's like a machine." I held onto his every word. Jake was throwing himself into something productive, which I was glad to hear. In a way I was hoping I would hear something worse. Something that let me know he was feeling just as lousy as I was.

"That's great. I'm so happy for him." I worked myself up enough to feign happiness for Seth's sake. And I was happy for him, but I really wished he would speak to me or something.

"He's still having a hard time, you know. You're his soul mate, Nessie. Every day you two are apart is like a little something breaks in him." I felt the familiar prickling of tears burning the rim of my eyelids, but I refused to let them fall this time. My aunts had both urged me to stop allowing myself to feel this overwhelming guilt when I came home for Thanksgiving break. After dinner (hunting for us, but those were just details), we (along with my mother) had slipped into conversation about Jake, and I had let it slip that we still hadn't spoken since summer. My father, of course, had been poking around my thoughts for long enough to know that already though.

"Renesmee," Aunt Rose had begun "if you don't see the world on your own now, how can you ever make a full commitment to him? Won't you feel like you're just settling without knowing what else there is out there?" This reasoning had made all the sense in the world when they were urging me to apply to colleges in the first place, but now, it was all getting a little blurry.

I directed my attention back on Seth, who despite his best efforts had a very short phone attention span. "I know, Seth. I just wish he'd talk to me or something. But enough about me- what about you that little slice of Heaven, Aubrey?" Seth had just imprinted a month ago on Aubrey Ateara, one of Quil's distant cousins, and couldn't stop asking me for love advice. Not that my romance was a picture of health or anything, but still.

He launched into telling me a story about how he took her down to the garage to see the bike he was working on (with Jake's guidance) and how excited she had been about the prospect of riding it together someday. She was a precious girl with a big heart, I knew from the last time I came to the reservation. She had long curly jet black hair and a shy smile, the perfect compliment to Seth's effervescence. I was excited for the two of them. "And anyways, you have to come over when you come home for Christmas! When does your break begin, anyways?"

"I take my last final on Friday morning and I'll be on the first train out that afternoon." I beamed into the receiver at the thought of coming back home for longer than two days and seeing the people I loved so much… Some of them at least.


	2. Ties that Bind

**Don't own much, giving the majority of credit to Stephenie Meyer. As usual, reviews and whatnot are appreciated and encouraged! And just for the record, I'm assuming that Charlie knows Nessie grows really fast and has started college. And if not, for our purposes today he does. This chapter is longer than they will be from here on out, but please try to stick with it- it'll be worth it in the end! Enjoy! (:**

_It was raining._

_ Not the usual drizzle that plagues Forks, though. This was a torrential downpour, and we were caught miles away from both the main house and the reservation. We were stuck in the cave tucked away on the beach, for Jake's fear of me catching a cold by running (or riding) home without the rabbit. Not that I minded, of course. I'd have rather been alone with Jake than just about anywhere- of course I couldn't tell him that. It was nearly a month after my sixth birthday, and an overwhelming shyness had overtaken me when it came to the two of us. Yeah, I was still playful and buoyant as usual, but I was wrestling with some pretty confusing feelings._

_ "Ness, why are you looking at me like that?" Jake turned and asked me, tossing a stray rock out of the cave and into the sand. It was surprising, the amount of protection from the weather we were receiving in our little alcove. I hadn't realized that I was staring, but then again, I have a predisposition to unconsciously transmitting things to other people. "And please don't start complaining that we didn't get to climb for long enough either, because I already told you that we'll go out again later."_

_ I smiled and hugged my knees to my chest. "I don't even care about that, okay? You couldn't keep up with me anyway." I tossed a pebble in his direction and he dodged it swiftly, laughing lightly at my attempt._

_ "Well then, what's the problem, little lady?" I wanted to lean over and kiss him right then. I wished that he would stop smiling at me like that. That smile- that smile could melt my heart in a matter of seconds and he had no idea the effect it was having. Instead, I decided to change the subject._

_ "I'm not that little, you know." I rolled my eyes and turned away quickly. I could feel the blush creeping up my cheeks and wanted to avoid any further embarrassment. Jake didn't need to know that I yearned for him to see me in a different light every time he made a remark like that. _

_ He scooted closer to me and wrapped his toned arm around my shoulder. His body heat immediately radiated off of him, warming me entirely and sending a shiver down to my toes. "I know that, Ness. But you did _technically_ just turn six." I looked up at him and immediately got lost in his warm eyes. They understood everything. Those eyes held all of the things that I wanted to say but couldn't. So we both just let them hang in the air of the cave. All of the memories that we had shared, the secrets, the laughs… Jake knew it all. He just got me, in a way that no one else ever had._

_ "Which means that _technically_, I'm almost a grown woman. Not exactly a kid anymore, Jacob." I wriggled out of his hold and walked to the other side of the cave. I was frustrated, but couldn't place the blame on any one person. It wasn't his fault that he still saw me as a child- he'd been there since the day I was born. He'd been my protector, big brother, best friend for as long as I could remember, so him seeing me any other way was going to take some time._

_ Jake stood to follow me, wrapping an arm around my waist gently and pulling my body back towards him. It took all of my resolve not to faint right then. "Trust me, I get it." His voice was low and tinged with something I had never heard before. The hairs on my arms stood up as he continued. "It's just, sometimes, I don't know quite where we stand anymore… I'm confused too."_

Too?_ I looked down and realized that my hand was covering his across my stomach. I had been projecting my array of disjointed emotions on him since he'd touched me. "I really like this, Jake." I admitted, quietly. Shyness overtook me and prevented me from turning around to face him. Luckily, the alpha male in him could stay dormant no longer. He swiftly swung me around so that my face was mere inches from his._

_ "I do too."_

"Nessie, focus! We have to lay down the place settings. This is a very delicate task and requires full attention." Aunt Alice snapped her fingers and brought me back to the moment. I looked down at my hands at the silverware that would normally be for Jake's place at the table for Christmas dinner. And for the first time ever, I didn't know if it was appropriate to place next to mine.

"Sorry, Alice." I shook my head quickly, attempting to shake off the cobwebs of memory that were pervading my mind. I had done so well about not dwelling on the past lately, but somehow, being home had begun to drudge up all of those memories. "I just didn't know where to put this one."

She crinkled her delicate nose and grabbed the setting from me. "Yes, that does pose a bit of an issue. Nevermind that now, I'll figure it out soon enough. How about you head into the kitchen and see if Esme needs any help with the food. Since the boys are coming over, you know she's putting in double time." Christmas dinner had become a Cullen family tradition after I was born. Every year some of the boys from the pack came over and brought their families. This year even Seth was bringing Aubrey, so it was going to be a big family celebration. Grandpa Charlie was even coming over instead of going on his yearly fishing excursion with Sue.

Grandma Esme put me to work straight away, putting the finishing touches on the meal. For someone who didn't intake any human food, she sure was great at preparing it. Within the hour, the meal was complete and the table was filling up. I could hear Alice ushering everyone into the dining room, Jasper hanging up coats, Aunt Rose complaining about the smell and Daddy… well, Daddy being Daddy.

"Wow, you two have really outdone yourselves this year!" Mama beamed and pulled me into a hug.

"I can't really take any credit- this was all Grandma." I smiled and dusted the excess cooking ingredients onto the floor, preparing myself to go to the table. "How do I look?" For the evening I had chosen to wear a pair of True Religion dark wash straight leg jeans, sparkly TOMS and a striped sweater that my roommate had bought me from H&M. Keeping it simple yet classy as Alice so deftly put it.

"You look beautiful, babygirl." She kissed my forehead and started grabbing the dishes. "Let's get this party started."

The table was full by the time we brought the food out. Everyone was gathered around, laughing, making conversation- from the looks of it, a far cry from how things would have been a number of years ago. It was great to have my Quileute family and my Cullen family under one roof without the threat of bloodshed (no pun intended). I took my normal place near the end of the table across from Grandma, with my father on one side and Seth where Jacob used to be. Jake wasn't there yet. Not that I had been waiting for him all afternoon or anything. Or perhaps dreading the moment when we would lock eyes from across the table, for the first time in my life, not knowing what to say to one another…

Grandpa Carlisle stood to get everyone's attention, clinking his fork against his empty glass. "Well, since we're almost all here, I think we should get started with a toast. This year, I would like to dedicate it to my beautiful granddaughter on successfully completing her first semester of college." I round of polite applause from the Cullen family ensued, along with a round of hoots and hollers from the wolves. Grandpa Charlie offered me a gentle toe nudge underneath the table and a wink of support. "She has truly surpassed every expectat-"

The front door burst open, allowing a blast of cold air into the dining room. Standing in the doorway, looking tall, dark and slightly (albeit beautifully) disheveled was Jacob Black.

And a girl.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late, everyone." I shook the snow off of my boots and removed my scarf and coat. They were obviously for show, though. I maintained a body temperature that could melt ice- literally. In order to go about my life outside of the reservation and the Cullen household, some things needed to change. "The rabbit was having some trouble getting started." I reached over and offered to take Alicia's coat as well. She smiled politely and shrugged it off of her shoulders.

Everyone seated at the table turned to see what the commotion was, Alice immediately standing to create another place setting. "Jacob. I didn't know you were bringing a guest. Allow me to make you more _comfortable_. I mentally winced at the term 'comfortable'. I knew full well that she meant for it to sting, but I just hoped that Alicia didn't pick it up.

All of the faces at the table seemed vaguely, if not explicitly, happy to see me again. Except for one. Renesmee's eyes met mine briefly, before flitting to Alicia in horror. I stopped in my tracks. I could only imagine what she was thinking of me in that moment. I'm sure it looked bad, bringing not only another woman to her family's Christmas dinner, but a pretty beautiful one at that. While no one was more gorgeous in my eyes than Ness, most people found Ali to be a catch. She was pushing 6 feet, slender, had milk chocolate skin and long black hair- and I only knew her because of work.

She came in one day last week to get her Audi A4 oil valve repaired and while I was offering her a quote on the fix, she mentioned that she had just moved to Forks recently and didn't even have family in the continental US currently (her parents were both overseas for work). I felt like it was only right to bring her along to dinner, considering over half the table wouldn't even be eating, so It was probably safe to say there would be enough food for her.

Ness snapped her head back around quickly, directing her attention back to Carlisle, who seemed to be making a speech. "Well, join us Jacob and friend. There's room for one more at this table." The seats were shuffled around, allowing Alicia and I seats nearest the door- and luckily, far away from the searing gazes of Edward and Bella. I could already tell that they were extremely displeased with me. Explaining this one wasn't going to be easy. "We were just toasting the successes of our lovely Renesmee." I allowed myself a quick look in her direction to see a myriad of emotions cross her face: embarrassment, pride, uncertainty.

We all raised our glasses in salute. "To Nessie!" resounded through the room, before the meal went on as planned. The food was delicious as usual, but I couldn't focus on anything other than the way Ness was fighting not to look at my end of the table. Or the way her laugh lilted around the room when Seth made a corny joke. Not to mention the way her brow crinkled when she was trying hard not to shoot her water out of her nose. I was usually the source of those laughs and now I was fighting to focus on a word coming out of Alicia's mouth.

"I said that this is a beautiful home. And everyone is so kind. Thank you for inviting me." She smiled warmly and I tried my hardest to reciprocate.

"No problem, Al. I'm sorry, will you excuse me? I have to use the restroom." I pushed myself away from the table and hastened to the upstairs bathroom. I pushed through the door and splashed some water on my face. "Get a hold of yourself, Black. It's just a dinner." I tried repeating a mantra of encouragement, but it was futile. I should have known seeing her would be too hard after all of this time- after everything we'd been through. I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Sitting at the same table as her was too much for me to handle.

I rushed out of the bathroom, heading for the stairs, ready to tell Alicia that I'd gotten sick and we needed to leave early. Before I even reached the stairs, though, I ran smack into a much smaller body, barely reacting quick enough to keep them from hitting the ground.

Renesmee's large brown eyes gazed up at me in shock, not knowing exactly how to react.

"Wow, you must really be ready to go."


	3. Mistakes Made

**Don't own much, giving the majority of credit to Stephenie Meyer. As usual, reviews and whatnot are appreciated and encouraged. Enjoy! (:**

"Wow, you must really be ready to go."

She whispered, standing on her own and straightening herself back up. For the first time the entire evening, I indulged myself in gazing at her. She looked absolutely gorgeous. The way her sweater fit her figure perfectly, how her hair cascaded over her shoulder in her side ponytail, the way her jeans hugged her curves- I was fighting my every instinct to claim my imprint right there.

It had been too much time without seeing her. The pull of the bond was clouding my judgement to make rational decisions- like walking away. "Yeah, I actually was just about to leave."

She bit her bottom lip in the way that generally threw me over the edge. "I bet your little girlfriend is waiting for you to get back. So um, I'll just be heading to my room if you don't mind…" Ness attempted to brush past me and into her bedroom, but all logic had left me. I gripped her elbow, impairing her ability to maneuver any further. She turned back to me, confusion once again clouding her beautiful features. "What are you doing, Jacob?"

"Alicia's not my girlfriend." Nessie allowed a moment of relief across her face before regaining her tough demeanor. "And I would prefer it if you didn't say things like that." She snorted, jerking her arm away from me.

"And I would appreciate it if you answered my millions emails, texts and messages but we don't get everything we want now do we?" She whipped her head around and stomped in the direction of her room. This wasn't how this interaction was going to play out. I followed her just as fast, closing her bedroom door behind me. "Get out of here, Jake. It's my turn to walk away this time."

I felt the venom in her statement. She was still hurt that I hadn't stayed to hear her out on the beach that day. And even though I knew it wasn't right, I still felt like my actions were justified. She was ripping out my heart, and I wasn't just going to stand around and let it happen. "That's not fair."

Her head turned to face me quicker than it ever had before. "That's not fair?" I could tell she was fighting to keep her voice down, and it appeared to be a losing battle. She pressed her index finger to my chest, strong enough to push me against the wall. "I'll tell you what's _not fair_, Jacob Black. That you promised me that you would always be there for me- that you would never leave me- and the second something happened that you didn't like, you ran away like a coward. You broke my heart and didn't even try to make things right. You let me go off to school, shattered and weak, and never once asked me how I was doing, told me you missed me- anything!" Her tears began to fall, but she didn't stop. "You are a monster. You know that? What you did to me was inexcusable and I hate you. I hate you, Jacob!"

I grabbed the hand that was still pointed directly at my chest and held it within mine. "Don't say that, Ness." I managed out. My heart felt like it had stopped beating. She was breaking me down.

"I do hate you! I wish you'd never come into my life. It's not fair, Jake. I was in love with you and you didn't even care."

I held her entire face between my hands and looked her directly in the eyes. "I do care, Ness! I care about you more than anything in this world, even. You're my everything." I struggled for the words to finish my statement. "When you said you wanted to leave, you… That meant that I was losing my life, Ness. Don't you see? I never stopped loving you. I love you now more than ever before."

* * *

Jake stopped speaking momentarily, searching my face for signs of something- anything. I had so much to say, but couldn't say any of it at the moment. I didn't hate him, never could, but I wanted him to experience half the pain that I had the last couple of months. I wanted him to know how it felt to be cast aside by the person who meant the most to you in the whole world. Before I could manage a response, his lips met mine forcefully. I didn't attempt to pull away, instead meeting him with equaled passion. We had spent too much time apart to be together- in this moment- without contact.

He pressed my back against the wall, moving his body slowly against mine. I had missed the feeling of his warmth enveloping me, making me feel things I didn't know were possible. A rush spread from my head to my feet, urging me forward. Jake's hands gripped my backside, hoisting me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist. Breaking the kiss, he trailed his way down my neck, onto my collarbone, ghosting along the v-cut neckline of my sweater. "Oh Jake.." My voice sounded foreign to me; husky, needy.

Using that as encouragement, Jake moved us towards the bed, placing me down gently and moving over me. It had been too long since I had felt his smooth skin against my own. I tugged at the hem of his simple black t-shirt, urging it over his head. He was even more beautiful than I remembered. I pulled his mouth back down to mine, our tongues immediately intertwining. A fire was growing in the pit of my stomach and the rest of the world was quickly falling away. All that was left was he and I. "Take it off." His insisted against my lips. I pulled my own shirt over my head, tossing it aside haphazardly. His right hand gripped my side, sliding his fingertips over my sensitive skin. He cupped my breast, eliciting a sharp intake a breath from me.

I could feel how aroused he was through both of our jeans. Raising my hips to meet his, I was grinding my middle right where it needed to be. My hands found the button of his pants before my mind had gotten to that point. "Ness…" This all felt good, so impossibly good, that I didn't think that I could stop myself. Didn't want to stop myself.

"Jake I-"

"RENESMEE CARLIE CULLEN, WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THAT PHOTO ALBUM?!" Aunt Alice's voice sounded up the stairs, getting progressively closer. Jake and I exchanged alarmed glances before jumping off of the bed, and reapplying the missing items of clothing. He quickly slid into the attached bathroom before Alice burst through the door. "There you are. Where's the album, seriously? I wanted to show Jake's new lady friend how cute you were. By the way, where does he get off bringing someone to the diner without evening alerting anyone. And you, poor thing, you seemed positively distraught through dinner. I understand you needing a moment to yourself." She took a moment and breathed in the stench. "Where's Jacob, anyway? He disappeared not too long ago as well."

I quickly handed her the scrapbook. "I don't know… Probably the bathroom?"

"Yeah, I bet. God, you're dodging a bullet with that one. I mean, seriously, where is his decorum?" Alice rolled her eyes again before closing the door and slipping back into the hallway. After feeling fairly safe I stepped into the bathroom and found Jake sitting on the edge of the shower with his head in his hands.

I shut the door behind me and slid down to the floor. "That was close, huh?"

Jake looked at me like he hadn't realized I was there. "Yeah. It was."

The smile that had formed on my face –the excitement of getting away- quickly faded, replaced by the feeling of rejection- once again. "What is your problem, Jacob?!" I punched the door with the back of my fist, leaving a slight dent in the wood. Sometimes I forgot how far-reaching my hybrid strength was. "Tell me what it is now!"

"Oh, don't you play the role of the self-righteous with me, Ness." He kept his voice low and far more contained than me. "You know just as well as I that this can't happen. We can't allow ourselves to come together like this when you're going right back to school in two weeks. You're headed back to your own world and I'm staying here in mine."

He stood up quickly and straightened himself out. I followed quickly, finally looking into the mirror. Jake stood behind me and we both stared at our reflections. We looked a mess- terribly disheveled and slightly heartbroken. Something needed to change here.

His eyes met mine in the mirror. "That doesn't change anything that I said, Ness. I love you now and always will. But something needs to change here."

Before I could even echo his sentiment, he had kissed me on the forehead and left.


	4. Save Her

**So here we are for another installment! I'd just like to thank you to all of those who are following me as an author or this story as a whole- you keep me going. Also, to those of you who have been reviewing, I take all of your comments very seriously and keep them in mind always. And in response to one such review, I would never sacrifice the integrity of the imprint bond. Jake walking out in the last chapter was him putting Nessie first like he always has, doing what he thinks is best for her emotionally.**

**Also, as a preface for this chapter, I really want to illustrate the fact that Ness went to school to find herself. This is her first opportunity to step outside of the careful box her family crafted around her all of these years. We'll really get to see this with the introduction of a new character.**

**Anyways, enough of that stuff! Here is the next chapter, please leave me your feedback. All credit goes to Stephenie Meyer. Enjoy!**

"_You look a little tired, kiddo. Maybe I should go easy on you next time?" Jake ruffled my hair as he stepped out from behind a tree, still buttoning his jean shorts. We had raced into the woods like we often did, and I had let him beat me by just a hair (for his pride, of course)._

"_Whatever, Jacob, you know I can beat you any day of the week." I crossed my arms over my chest, barely able to tuck my hands into my elbows. Puberty was hitting me quick and it was hitting me hard._

_He sat down on the ground and patted the spot next to him on the forest floor. "You keep telling yourself that, princess." I followed suit and sat down, leaning back on my elbows to look at the stars. _

"_You're a real gem sometimes, Jake Black…. A real gem. I think I'm gonna be in the market for a new best friend here pretty soon." I laughed. There was a break in the treetop canopy right above where we sat, offering a window into the magnificent night sky. Jake sighed heavily beside me, laid back and put his interlaced fingers behind his head._

"_You couldn't get rid of me if you tried, little one." He knew how to push my buttons. Referring to me by childish pet names never failed to irk me, especially at that age. In human years I would have equated to about 13 or 14, which is apparently a pretty moody time for most girls. "Not that you'd ever want to, of course."_

"_Wipe that smug smile off your face, Jacob Black. I could and I would if you ever pushed me." I turned away from him, hastily. I heard him shuffling behind me, not quite responding, but not ignoring me either. It was just some strange in-between that we rarely experienced. Despite my recent mood swings, I still couldn't stand to lie to him. "Alright fine, we're friends forever." I rolled my eyes and smiled. "But boy do you know how to get me riled up!"_

_Jake allowed his hearty laugh to escape and wrapped his arms around me, causing me to just melt against him in return. He kissed the top of my head and whispered into my hair, "We're in this forever, right Ness?"_

"_Forever and always, Jake."_

Winter break passed by in a flash. I spent the majority of the time with my family, catching up on some reading and the rest of the time hanging out with Seth and his new imprint. The girl was perfect for him, and it was great to see the two of the so happy. Although sometimes, I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy if I'd see a silent understanding pass between the two of them, or sweet romantic exchange. Jake hadn't reached out to me again after the incident at dinner, and I wasn't in the place to reach out to him, either. I mean, what more could I say? I'd forgiven him for walking away once and he did it again immediately afterwards. While the bond of our pull was unbreakable, my heart was having a hard time bearing any more pain. I went back to school and attempted to resume life as scheduled, but unlike in the fall, pretending to be okay was nearly unbearable.

"Carlie, are you feeling alright? You just haven't been yourself this week." I looked up at the sound of my middle name. I decided to adopt using it as my preferred named upon coming to school- a part of my new image. My roommate and best friend at Wash U, Ariana Armstrong shut the screen on her laptop and shot a pointed look in my direction.

"Yeah, I'm just kind of stressed about this exam in Fisher's class tomorrow. I heard it's gonna be a real killer." My lying skills had never been up to par. Ariana caught onto that pretty quickly.

"You're the worst liar, Car. Listen, how about we go do something fun tonight? Get your mind off of Jake for an hour or so." By all intents and standards, Ariana was absolutely gorgeous. Between her slim 5'9" frame, long brown hair, naturally olive-toned skin and Alice Cullen-worthy wardrobe, she was the object of plenty of guys' on campus' affection. However, instead of turning that attention into being a heartbreaker, she devoted her time to academics (and being fiercely protective of her friends in her spare time). So going out –while not a complete rarity- wasn't something she did very often.

"I don't know. You know, I don't think I'd be much fun at a party right now."

She smiled and conspiratorially threw open my closet door. "Trust me, girl, you will."

* * *

I didn't go back to say anything to Ness before she left. It had to be what was best for her, right? I had to give her the space she needed in college to explore life on her own. It was a natural progression, the place she was supposed to be. At least that had been my motto for the past week. In my heart, mind and soul I knew that where she was supposed to be was with me- where I could love and protect her. But for now, I was going to be what she needed even more, someone who could step back and let her live.

Tonight, the guys had decided that we needed to have a guys' night. Embry suggested cliff diving and camping out, so we had all agreed to meet up on the rez after I was done at work. I'd been making a decent sum of money managing a garage in town, making plans to start my own whenever I got some free time. In order for me to be the best man for Ness (whenever and if ever she came back), I was going to need to be able to support myself. So I was saving money in hopes of eventually getting my shop up and running. It gave me something to look forward to. Not to mention something to keep me busy.

"Jake, bro! So glad you could make it!" Embry came up to the track and slapped me on the back. It was good to see my brothers again. I hadn't realized how long I'd stayed away, aside from the necessity of running patrols and sleeping. "Emily has cooked up a delicious spread for us this evening. Said she didn't think we could possibly catch enough to keep us all full. Ha!"

I laughed with him and rushed inside to see the rest of the guys. They all rushed me as soon as I came in, everyone having something new to say. I missed the excitement of my pack. Missed the way everybody just understood each other. We rushed through our first dinner like usual, and went outside to phase. The guys had preemptively set the camping gear out on first beach so that we could race there.

"Nothing has changed, huh? None of you scrubs can beat me yet?" I thought to the other guys. I was ripping through the trees, probably quicker than ever. Competition had always made more enthused.

Quil was the first to rip back. "Whatever old man. We're just padding your ego." We all howled with laughter, and reached our destination (I still won, regardless of ego). Phasing quickly, everyone was ready to go cliff-diving. Since joining the pack all those years ago, it had become one of my favorite activities. But lately, I hadn't made much time for anything fun.

"Can we just go already? I'm ready to dive!" Seth yelled. Everyone just ran in response, heading to the edge. I took very few steps before I had to stop, a crippling pain ripping through my body. All of the guys stopped and turned to see what was holding me up. "Jake man, what's up?"

A deep moan escaped me as I grabbed my chest.

"Bro, do you want to turn back?" Quil stood next to me and put a hand on my back. Before I could verbally respond, I knew what was happening. Something was going on with Ness- something bad. And I could feel it. I unconsciously phased back, the guys following suit. "What is it, Jake?"

"It's Renesmee. Something's going on with her. I have to go to WU." We were running now. "You guys stay behind. I'll let you know if I need you later." I shredded through the trees with one mission in mind.

Save my woman.


	5. Breaking Down

**This is another lengthy chapter, but I hope that it's worth it. We are really jumping into some fairly heavy material here, so please be prepared for that. Please review this chapter, because not only do they keep me writing, but they help my vision come to light. Thank you all for reading! Enjoy.**

**All credit goes to the mastermind author of the Twilight novels.**

There were lots of benefits to being half human. This was not one of them.

One thing I had learned about the pack was that when they drank they burned off their alcohol so quickly that no one ever got visibly impaired. Instead, I grew up with the notion that everyone took the liquor the same way: fast and easy. It didn't take long after attending my first college party to realize that humans –the normal kind- by and large, reacted poorly to drinking. And college was full of regular, drinking, humans.

Ariana had turned getting me out to a party into a personal mission. Not only was she going to get me to step out, I was also going to look the best and be the most fun. By her description, the only way to get me out of my "rut" was to be the life of the event. "Car, this is about to be great. Carolee, Amber and Tippy are all about this scene. They promised that they'll show you a good time tonight."

Ariana worked part time at a bookstore in town and had made plenty of connections in the time she had been there. Three of her co-workers were townies (grew up in Seattle) and only one of which actually attended UDubb. "Ariana, I really don't know if this is going to be as much fun as you think it is. Honestly, I'm just not in a place where I should be celebrating, you know?" The question was falling on deaf ears. There was no way she could understand the bond that me and Jake shared. Or any way she could identify with the pain of your soul mate telling you that they wanted nothing to do with you. When she got an idea in her head, she ran with it, and tonight I was going to be the project.

We stood on the porch of the girls' rental home. The porch light was flickering on and off and I had to vocally project in order for her to hear me. "What did I tell you? This will be FINE. Have I ever steered you wrong?" Ariana smiled down at me, with her infectious enthusiasm. She hadn't pointed me in the wrong direction in the time we'd known each other.

"Hey babies!" Tippy opened the door and waved us inside. She looked kind of cute- in a lost puppy sort of way. Her unruly brown hair was barely restrained by a headband and she had on heels that were a tad bit too high for her. She looked like she was about to topple over. "I'm so glad you came, Carlie! Ariana said you were coming out with us, but I didn't believe her! You never come out with us!"

That was true. I didn't party. It just wasn't my scene. After going to one frat house at the beginning of the year, I'd decided that I probably wouldn't be going back any time soon. There were too many people cramped entirely too close together for my taste. I had stayed for about an hour before accepting the fact that maybe, I was just wired differently than all those who seemed to enjoy it. And no matter how much I wanted to pretend- I was never going to be just like everyone else.

Tonight though, I had a lot of forgetting to do.

"Thanks, Tippy. I uh, yeah, I'm really looking forward to it." I smiled and glanced over at Ariana, who was already heading to the kitchen. The house was small and had obviously seen its share of better days, so when Tippy pointed me towards the rest of the girls, it didn't take anything for me to find it.

Their small card table that doubled as a kitchen table was lined with five shot glasses. Carolee, Ariana and Amber all set up in front of them, ready to go. Amber waved me and Tippy over, obviously ready to continue her drinking. "Hurry, ladies! The party at Cooper's is probably packed already with more people than people, you know?!" Amber attempted to rationalize. I could tell she was already slipping into her drunken oblivion.

"Bottoms up, girls!" Carolee shouted. Before I bothered to respond, everyone was draining their glasses and looking at me to take my first drink of the night. "Come on, Carlie. This is the good stuff- not that cheapo crap you all usually have." Both Carolee and Tippy were "seniors" at a local community college, and already 21. I sensed that splurging on quality alcohol was a pretty big deal around here.

Amber, a sophomore, and only other student at Washington was obviously the most sober of the bunch.

I quickly downed the shot, recoiling afterwards from the bitter taste. It was awful, but the effects were immediate. I already felt a little bit lighter, a little freer. We took a few more before deciding to hit the road. This ritual, the party before the party, was something they called "pre-gaming". Ariana said it was just to loosen you up a little; otherwise, you're too self-conscious to dance.

Sounded reasonable enough to me.

Their friend Cooper didn't live too far away. We walked a few blocks and we were there, getting invited into the house. It was a little after midnight and the place was more or less packed. The living room was filled with people dancing and making out and the kitchen was littered with bottles of alcohol and red solo cups. There were even guys doing body shots off of a girl who I recognized from my Human Anatomy class on the kitchen table. She was taking the lessons a little too seriously.

I couldn't remember how many shots I had taken at the girls' house. 3? 4? Maybe 5? So when they guy offered me a drink in the kitchen, I didn't bother to refuse it. What could one more drink hurt? "So baby, you must not come around here often. I don't think I've ever seen you before." I took a sip of the grainy beer and smiled.

"No, I'm just here with a couple of friends." I took another gulp of my drink and looked over the guy's appearance. While my vision was getting a little hazy, I could tell that he was no Jacob. He was maybe 5'10", 160 lbs. soaking wet, and his outfit was slightly wrinkled. But he was tiny and smiling, and looked harmless enough.

"So you wanna dance, sweetheart? I mean, since your friends dragged you all the way out here and everything. We might as well show you a good time." I nodded and set my cup on the counter.

"Maybe I should write my name on my cup, you know? So nobody steals it." I was almost yelling over the sound of the music. We had pushed our way into the living room, where the real party was going on.

"Oh yeah, that's a good idea. I'll take care of it for you, just sit tight for a second." He smiled at me again and rushed back into the kitchen. The feeling of the bass was encouraging me to move. My body started swaying a bit, and before I knew it, I was shaking everything- even attempting some of the moves I'd seen in a Beyonce video recently. I felt a pair of hands on my hips, as the guy I'd been talking to came up behind me. He wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me flush against him. He was so close to me that I could feel the heat of his breath on my neck. "You're a good dancer, baby."

I didn't like the sound of him calling me baby. There's only one person who had ever said it in the way this guy intended, and I wanted to keep it that way. "It's pretty hot in here. I think I want to get out of this room." I stepped away, heading to the only other area of the house that I'd been. I found my drink sitting exactly where I left it and quickly downed the rest, anxious to get the icky feeling of the guy off of me.

"You look a little flushed, sweetheart. You want me to show you another room?" His hand was back on my back, but I was getting too tired to fight it. I nodded and he guided me through the house, headed for a room where I hoped the ceiling wouldn't be spinning and the air wasn't so thick. He walked me down a set of stairs and finally the beat of the music was distant. As he pushed open a wooden door, I noticed a group of guys I didn't recognize gathered in a bunch of chairs. Everything was cloudy, like someone had been smoking, but I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was sit down and close my eyes.

"Hey fellas, looks like we got one."

And those were the last words I heard before I blacked out.

* * *

It took me less time than it ever had to get to Seattle by foot- or paw. The entire journey was agonizing. Not so much because of the exertion it took to move as fast as I was, but because of the threat of danger. I could feel with every pounding step, the pull of Nessie's wavering safety. I was running on instinct. I had no idea where she was except for the tie of her soul to mine- which probably accounted for more of a guide than MapQuest.

When I sensed her located nearing, I phased behind a line of trees behind someone's house. I was grateful for the good fortune of a laundry line being hung nearby, and a male resident who was close to my size. Well, he had basketball shorts that fit. The shirts were obviously not designed for someone of my stature.

I could feel the pounding of loud music being played in the distance and ran towards it urgently. Something told me that was where my Ness was. That was where she needed to be saved from. I pushed open the front door and knew immediately that this was not the type of place she would have normally been at. The walls were chipped and stained, and the carpet (wherever there was carpet, I guess) was caked with years of dirt. I barely got through the first room before some blond girl with shiny teeth latched onto me.

"Oh my GOD. You're that guy from the pictures. You're the one Carlie is always going on and on about!" The girl hiccupped and ran her hands down my abdomen. "Wowwwwww. No wonder she loves you so much!" She giggled and slapped my chest. It took me a second to gather my bearings, but two things I knew for sure. #1, she was drunk. #2, she knew Renesmee or Carlie, for that matter.

"Where is she?" I held her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Where is Carlie?"

"I don't really know." She frowned and pointed a sloppy finger in my direction. "But _you_ shouldn't get to see her anyway. She's been a_ mess_ thanks to you!" Her inconsistent inflection and drunken stupor were beginning to frustrate me, and I didn't have patience for her behavior. I turned on the alpha tone before responding.

"I don't have time for this. Tell me where she is RIGHT. NOW" That was all it took. She weakly pointed in the direction of a downward leading staircase, before shrinking away quickly. I pushed my way through the crowd and ran down the stairs. I immediately kicked through the shoddy lock on the only wooden door in the basement.

The haze of the marijuana smoke obstructed my vision slightly, but it wasn't hard to know what was going on.

At least five guys scattered when they saw me looming, as a growl ripped through my chest and throughout the house. I didn't care who heard me, I didn't care what happened. I had never been filled with such rage before in my life. Because as the assholes scattered, I saw my precious Renesmee on the floor, and a guy struggling to pull his pants up quickly standing over her. I lunged towards him, just barely missing his body. I was determined to rip him limb from limb right then. My instincts were working quicker than my mind was. I knew what he was about to do, and he deserved to die for it at my hands.

He sprinted towards the door, hastening up the steps quickly. Just as he reached the top, I heard the sirens outside, and the sound of police erupting through the front door of the house. I could see the outlines of everyone running, barely able to move quick enough. And against my better judgement, I turned back, forgetting the disgusting waste of a man that was before me. I had to get Ness out of there, before the law got a hold of her. I had no idea what had brought her to the comatose state she was in, but I rushed to her and cradled her in my arms. Our quickest plan of escape was through the window.

I maneuvered us through it and ran into the night- determined to save my love, now whichever way I could.

* * *

**That was a rough one for me. Let me know what you thought: favorite, follow, reviews always welcome (:**


	6. Forged by Fire

**I'm just going to say, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Some of you may be switching sides for whose side you're currently on. Leave me a review, let me know the verdict! All credit goes to good old Stephanie Meyer.**

"_I just want you to be able to look at me and see me like any other parent would. Not give me that sideways glance like you feel as though I'll disappear at any moment. Or like I'm going to run away and never come back. I'm here. I'm your daughter. I'll always be your baby." My father and I sat on the back porch of the main house, overlooking the lake that resided there. It was one of our favorite summer pastimes. We'd sit underneath the stars and I'd drink in the humid summertime air, one of my favorite scents. It was another one of those nights where the conversation had turned to me and college._

_He reached his hand across the space between our lounge chairs and linked his fingers with mine. "I don't think you get it, dear. Every parent feels this way when their child is headed to college. You're taking on the world without me. And although we cherished every single day we had with you as a child- those days are gone. Far too soon, I might add."_

"_I do understand, though. You and mommy need to know that I will always come home and I will always need you. No matter how 'old' I get." I threw air quotes around the word old. I mean, I was done aging, just like everyone else in my family. But unlike everyone else, I had come to terms with the reality of my condition long ago. "I was never like the other kids, you know?" I continued after a moment. "Going to school for my senior year, I realized that. Everyone would reminisce on those years they spent listening to alternative music in their basements with their best friend while watching some crappy teen soap opera, and I had nothing like that. 'Oh yeah, I used to listen to Vivaldi with my father, while reviewing his orchestral style in fluent Latin at the age of four'."_

_My dad offered me a sad yet sincere smile. "And you want to be like them? The other kids, I mean. Their upbringing sounds so pedestrian."_

_I laughed lightly. My dad was so well-intentioned, however misguided. I thought back to my senior year briefly. It was a strange time, being with my peers. I'd gotten involved with a lot of student organizations, made some friends, but it just didn't feel right. Something about me didn't fit. Just like something about me didn't fit among my own family. I was born- not turned, not phased. "Something like that, Daddy."_

"_You're really going to do this college thing, Renesmee? You're just like your mother- so defiant. I guess I can't implore you to stay at home even if I wanted to." I looked up at the sky, suddenly feeling whimsical._

_I was getting out of Forks on my own for the first time in my life, and it made me feel free. I could be whoever I wanted out there. Not Ness, the vampire/human hybrid. Not Renesmee, daddy's little angel and perfect daughter. Not Nessie, Jake's imprint and soul mate. I was going to reinvent myself and really see the world._

"_Yeah dad… I guess you couldn't."_

I woke up to the sound of beeping. I forced my eyes to open, despite their natural inclination to fight the urge. My entire body was stiff, and the fabric on my skin was driving me wild with its rough texture. The fluorescent lights flooded my eye sockets, absolutely burning, and causing me to release a deep groan of dissatisfaction. At that, Jacob crossed the room quickly, rubbing his own eyes and taking my hand.

"Ness, how're you feeling?" I had so many questions. Like why there was an IV in my arm and why was I in a hospital room instead of in my dorm studying for my Kinesiology 100 exam next week? And why in the world was Jacob in Seattle?

"Like Hell." I croaked out slowly. He dropped my hand momentarily, leaving the room to bring back a nurse. She checked my vitals and smiled sadly down at me. Without a word, she turned and left the room, leaving a glass of ice water and a stony-faced Jake behind. "What's going on, anyway?"

I struggled to sit up, but Jake gently pushed my shoulders back down to the pillow. "Just relax, kid. You're not going anywhere anytime soon. You had a pretty thrilling night, apparently." He ran his hands through his jet-black hair quickly. His stride carried him back to the other side of the room, near the window.

"Well maybe you could enlighten me. Since you seem to know so much about what I've been up to lately." I huffed. I was irrationally angry at him. It was me in the hospital, after all. And he was the only familiar face here, even after everything I'd put him through lately. For some reason though, his attitude was frustrating me.

He whipped his head in my direction, shooting daggers with his eyes. "You want to know why I know what you've been up to lately, Renesmee. Or maybe I should call you _Carlie, _since apparently that's who you are now." Jake stuffed his hands into his pockets and started pacing again. "Your little friend, Ariana left you at that little party you two decided to go to for a little too long and you couldn't handle yourself. Drank too much, got a little too caught up grinding on some asshole frat boy- I don't know- but somewhere along the line, somebody slipped you a roofie. And I got there just in time to keep you from…" He trailed off, fighting back some emotion.

"From what?" I prodded, impatiently.

"I kept you from getting raped, Ness! Someone was going to rape. you. And none of your so called 'friends' were anywhere to be found to help you!" He pointed at the door angrily. As if one of my friends would actually be in this hospital right now.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Jacob! My friends would never do that to me." I could feel my anger bubbling up again and the sting of tears behind my eyes. "They care about me!"

"Do they? Do they care about you? Because you've been drifting in and out of consciousness for about 48 hours now and your cell hasn't gone off ONCE. Your little buddies haven't stopped by this hospital ONCE. You're all alone, and guess why? Go ahead- guess. Because they ran off the second the police broke up that hellhole of a party and didn't give your safety a second thought. When I caught that bastard with his pants around his ankles and his friends cheering him on, guess who was there to save you- you think it was Ariana? I hate to break it to you, but I had to practically rip her tongue out of some guy's mouth just to get a solid answer from her about where to find you. So PLEASE, I beg you, don't tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about." He simply stared at me, his furious glare burning a hole through my skull. I couldn't restrain the sobs that ripped through my chest.

I couldn't remember anything. The last thing I remember was getting ready to go over to Tippy's house before the party, and according to Jake, plenty had happened after that. The worst part was, I didn't doubt any of it. Jake would never lie to me, and I knew that party was going to be sketchy, from the first moment I'd heard about it. I went anyway. I drank anyway.

I lost myself anyway.

Finally I worked up the nerve to speak again. "Did you tell my parents yet? If Alice hasn't seen it, she's bound to soon." His eyes softened a bit.

"No. Against my better judgement, I haven't spoken to them. I know the moment they find out, they're going to force you to come home, and I thought you should be able to make that decision on your own. I shouldn't have to force your hand again." He turned his back to me, looking between the door and the window, as though he couldn't decide whether to run away or jump.

"What do you mean, 'again?" I asked, barely audible.

"I mean just what I said. This is, in a way, my fault. I dragged you into a relationship with me before you were ready. That had always been your parents biggest fear, that you would choose me without knowing what else there was. And now here you are, in a hospital because you were trying to run away from the boundaries that my imprinting on you has set. And for that I am truly sorry. I though all along that I was doing the right thing. That me letting you go was giving you the space you needed to grow. Instead, you being connected to me have done nothing but drive you into the arms of the devil himself."

I opened my mouth to argue, but he continued solemnly. "I just want you to have everything you've ever wanted, Ness." He turned towards the door, grabbing the handle and cracking it slightly. "Just know, in your heart of hearts, that it will ALWAYS be me to scoop you up when you fall. Always."

And with that, he disappeared, leaving me with a mouth full of excuses and no one to deliver them to.

* * *

I just back in La Push by that afternoon.

Knowing that Nessie was safe gave me enough power to push myself back home. Instead of running the entire way like last time, I allowed myself a train ticket, the trip providing me with the time to think. I was done feeling sorry for myself, and for that matter, Nessie. If she wanted to venture out on her own, then she should be free to do that. I was no longer going to be the string tethering her to Forks. Although she was my force of gravity, I could no longer expect to be the center of her universe as well. And while that would take some getting used to, I was going to do it. I would get the shop off the ground, and finally lead the pack like an alpha is supposed to. Instead of the way I was currently leading, with my mind always in two places at once.

I pushed through the front door of my father's house, looking to speak to him. I hadn't been able to open up to him much lately, what with all of the chaos going on. He would understand, though, what my next course of action needed to be.

"Hey Black, where are you? I have something that we need to talk abou-" I stopped dead in my tracks, shocked by the scene in front of me. I had expected to see my father's wheelchair parked in front of the tv set with a beer in his hand. Instead, Renesmee was on the couch, in one of my old hoodies that I had long since passed onto her, with her hair piled atop her head in a messy bun, and her face flushed with exhaustion and emotion.

I couldn't keep the bite out of my voice. "What are you doing here?" I hoped that she felt it a little bit. I wanted her to know that this house, while it once belonged to her as well, didn't hold the same warmth. It killed me inside, but I knew that the only way to sever our ties would be to really quit cold turkey. "You should still be in the hospital."

She looked wounded. "I came to talk to you… About everything."

"Well here I am. Start talking." I stuffed my hands in pockets and leaned against the kitchen counter, providing a safe distance between the two of us.

"Jake please don't be like this. There's a lot between us that needs to be cleared up tonight. Really cleared up- not like at Christmas where we threw some apologies at each other and then made out." She crossed the room, careful not to come too close. "It never used to be like this. We were always able to talk about everything and ever since… Ever since we became boyfriend and girlfriend or whatever it is we are now, we've been keeping things from each other. We haven't been able to talk like we used to."

I wanted to laugh, but I kept it to myself. "I wonder why. If I recall, you decided not to tell me about the college thing wayyyyyy before we became a couple. You were lying to me back then, Renesmee. I've never lied to you." She crossed her arms.

"Okay, so I'm the one who's been having trouble with the truth. I get it."

"No, actually I don't believe you do."

"Then help me understand, Jacob! Help me understand. Because the way I see it, everything was fine at Christmas. I had said what I needed to say, and you were ready to make love to me right then and there- like we'd never had problems a day in our life. And then you walked away, like you've been doing since this summer." She was fighting her own emotion, I could tell. But I wasn't going to play the villain role again- not today.

"I wasn't the only one in that room feeling the pull and you know it. I wanted to take you because that's what mates do, Ness. That's what _soul mates _do. Because for the ten minutes we had together in that bedroom, I wanted to believe that everything could go back to normal, that everything could be fine again. But it can't, can it?" Ness threw her hands into the air in frustration.

"But they can! Can't you see? They can go back to normal! I'm sorry, Jacob Black." A sob ripped through the room. "I am sorrier than I have ever been before. I'm quitting school and coming back home." She wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve. "You were right about everything. You guys –here at home- are the people that really care about me…. Jake, Jake please listen to me."

I was listening. But the message wasn't one that I knew I could hear right then. "I am listening, Ness! I hear you, but that doesn't change anything. It doesn't change the fact that I love you, have always loved you, and will always love you. And it sure doesn't change all of the pain I've had to go through the past couple of months. I can't keep having you, just to see you get ripped away from me on a whim."

She blinked quickly, trying to regain her composure. "So that's it then? We're done, just like that?"

I didn't know what I wanted. I knew that we needed to be together, but I was done playing these cat and mouse games. "I just don't know what this is anymore, you know?" Renesmee stared at me then, the only time she had truly met my gaze all evening.

"No, I don't know. Because last time I checked, we were soul mates. And this isn't what _soul mates _do, Jacob."

**FIN... for now.**


	7. Fin

Hey everyone!

I hope nobody got excited for this alert, because it may be some rather disheartening news. I have decided that the last chapter (Chapter 6) of Entrapment is going to be the final chapter. I want to leave you all with a cliffhanger for Jake and Nessie's relationship, because as of right now, they obviously have some unresolved issues to sort through. **There will most definitely be a sequel **with a final verdict and the next step in their lives together (or apart, you'll just have to wait and see). Until then, please pass this story along to your friends and make sure to get me on alert! I have a lot of great plot twists just swimming around, waiting for the right time to be published. Thank you all for reading.

xoxo


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